


felix teaches (annette suffers)

by Lep



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Second-Hand Embarrassment, Slow Burn, a bit of angst, crest shenanigans, detective sylvain, hints of sylgrid, non life-threatening problems, post c-support
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:08:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21692008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lep/pseuds/Lep
Summary: Felix has been acting a bit strange recently - uncharacteristic events leading up to a lecture showcasing his lesser-known talents. Annette is in grave peril (it's somewhat self-imposed).Meanwhile, Detective Sylvain and his team try to get to the bottom of events.inspired by this tweet i saw https://twitter.com/corviiid/status/1173883909206990848
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 19
Kudos: 57





	1. Worry

**Author's Note:**

> fic with a currently unknown length :) stick around if you want

Annette was worried.

A great deal of things could be worrying her at any given time - how long would it take to reconnect with her father? How much longer before her “talents” for magic ran dry, and everyone left her behind? Lysithea was certainly on track to do so - just last week, Professor Hanneman was parading a very visibly annoyed mage around, announcing to all of her unprecedentedly early class promotion. Even Linhardt was receiving a deal of praise from the other professor Byleth (seriously, who named BOTH of them Byleth?) recently, given he was now conscious for most of his lectures.

All these factors and more were perpetually weighing on her mind; however, this was not the cause of her current state.

Something far worse had happened. The callous, brooding, generally icy swordsman of her class had to - just _had to_ \- see her singing. Just thinking of what Felix would do with this forbidden knowledge chilled her to the bone - perhaps her school life, which had been going fairly well, would be snuffed by a song about _steaks and cakes_ of all things.

A sigh that seemed to take part of her soul with it involuntarily escaped her - a sigh that did not go unnoticed by Sylvain, who perked up like an eager puppy.

“Heya, Annette. What’s on your mind?”

Annette had heard this line countless times - with the rate at which Sylvain cycled through female companions, conversation starters were bound to be recycled. Yet, Sylvain seemed to have something different in his gaze this time; not just the puppy dog eyes that got seemingly everyone (except Ingrid), but what at least appeared to be a spark of concern.

“Uh, Sylvain! J-just school stuff, yep. The professor really doesn’t let up with the lectures, huh?” Trying to divert his attention to the female professor was a tried and true tactic, to her experience having a 100% success rate. Unfortunately for her, mentioning the professor without warning and ending said sentence with an unconvincing laugh significantly lowered that percentage.

“Yeah, she’s really something, huh.” Annette inwardly gave a sigh of relief, but retracted it soon afterward. “You don’t have to lie to me, Annette. I’m not that oblivious.”

Annette sighed again.

“It’s about Felix,” she reluctantly said. At Sylvain’s raised eyebrows, she stammered onwards. “H-he knows a secret of mine, and I feel as though he’ll tell everyone, because, well, you know... It’s Felix!”

At this, Sylvain raised one eyebrow further. “It’s not like that!” she yelled, turning red despite her best efforts. Sylvain let an easy grin spread across his face – great. Now the entire house – maybe more – would think she was in some kind of ‘intimate relationship’ with Felix. As if things couldn’t get worse.

Sylvain’s voice snapped her out of her reverie. “Are you going to his lecture tomorrow?”, putting his hands behind his head. She wondered if that was a nervous tick or information-weaseling tactic. Nodding, she replied, “It is a good opportunity to learn, after all.”

Sylvain leaned in a little closer. “Do you know what he’s teaching tomorrow?”

Annette shook her head.

“Well, let me tell you that it probably won’t go stellar,” he laughed. “I’ve seen him training this specific technique, and it wasn’t pretty.”

At her silence, he continued. “Anyway, you’ll be fine. Felix would never do anything bad to you,” Sylvain reassured, his last point accentuated with a wink - only serving to confuse Annette further.

With a carefree wave, Sylvain sauntered out of the classroom, no doubt in search of female companionship, leaving Annette alone with her thoughts.

Slumping in both body and spirit, her eyes wandered around the classroom.

Just tomorrow, Felix would be here: his cold, no-nonsense approach now on display in the field of tutorship. A twist of nervousness struck her - what if she, in her usual scatterbrained ways, said something wrong? What then? Would he exact his revenge by telling everyone about-

No. No no no no. Never, in a million years, would she let that happen. Everything would be fine if she just treated him as she would treat the professor! Er, that is, _her_ professor. Oh, this was just too confusing sometimes. Argh, back to the issue at hand – yes, that’s right. He would have absolutely no reason to tell everyone about her dumb, stupid, embarrassing songs.

Annette realized she was breathing quite fast. Unable to fight the sense of rising dread, she looked around the classroom hopelessly.

 _This could very well be the final resting place of my academy life as I know it,_ she thought. Surely no-one would turn up, right? Everyone would be too intimidated by Felix to go. That’s right, no-one would go. So it was ok - even if she did somehow set Felix off, no-one would know. Right. Totally.

Sighing once more, Annette began the slow trudge back up to the students’ dorms: maybe giving Mercie a visit would help.


	2. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix tries his best to teach.

Annette did not sleep well.

Mercie listened the best she could, as she always did. And yet, when the topic of Felix came up, she simply smiled and giggled - it was infuriating! How could she of all people not understand the grave peril she was in? How much was on the line? When she listed off the various and numerous ways in which Felix could effortlessly ruin her life, she just waved a hand, saying “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that, Annie.” What? How could she NOT worry?

Her sleep that night didn’t help matters either - a nightmare in which what seemed to be an older Felix, dressed in a clown’s outfit (a _clown’s outfit?_ ) of all things, stared at her with an unreadable expression among a sea of people, all who paid him no mind. The terrifying image haunted her throughout the entire morning.

Giving what seemed like the thousandth sigh in the last few days, she walked her way toward the Blue Lions classroom, feet dragging with every step.

Surely no-one did come. At the most, 3 or 4 people.... right?

~

Everyone was there.

Both professors with their blank, yet focused stares, all her Blue Lion classmates - Mercie included! - and even a few from other houses: interestingly, Bernadetta, Lysithea and even Edelgard. _Edelgard_ was here!

If there was a more perfect crowd for her life to get ruined in front of, it would be in another lifetime. Felix was nowhere to be seen; a small consolation.

Practically stalking her way to Mercie’s table, she threw herself into the seat with a mixture of hopelessness and anger – anger that whole house had seemingly banded together to watch Felix’s first and quite possibly final lecture. Furthermore, anger that none of them (in particular, Mercie) decided to tell her about this almost heartwarming act of house unity. Almost. Sighing yet again, she turned to Mercie. “Where is he?”

Smiling, she shrugged. “He should be here soon.”

As if on cue, the door flew open with a slam. Silence overtook the room almost immediately.

Walking up to the front of the room, he gave the occupants a sharp once-over. If he was surprised at the amount of attendants, he hid it well - his gaze lingering only on Annette and briefly stopping at the front to scoff at Edelgard and Dimitri sharing a desk.

“Well then,” he started. “I’m going to teach you today.” Walking over to the chalkboard, he picked up the stick of chalk.

A light that seemed to come from within Felix lit up the classroom, accompanied by a hollow ringing. The stick of chalk immediately snapped.

Dimitri looked sympathetic. The professor (one of them) seemed to be biting back a smile - a rarity.

Sylvain was openly chortling, which only grew in volume from Ingrid’s repeated elbows. Felix sharply turned around, eyes narrowing at the sight.

“Sylvain,” he said icily. “Come up to the front.”

Sylvain obeyed, grinning brilliantly next to the desk.

“ _You_ are going to be my test subject.” At this, Sylvain looked uncertain.

”Uh, don’t you mean demonstrator? Or volunteer?” Felix did not reply.

From behind the desk, he picked up a training sword. Sylvain looked nervously at the blunted edge; never underestimate Felix with any kind of sword. 

“Watch carefully.”

Without warning nor hesitation, Felix swung. Sylvain dodged with an alarmed expression.

“H-hey, aren’t you gonna tell me what to do?” Felix grunted and swung again, while the rest of the room looked on in concerned fascination.

After a few more swings, which Sylvain somehow dodged, Felix’s assault took an unexpected turn in tactics. Putting the sword in his mouth (in his mouth!) he descended upon Sylvain with a sound almost akin to a snarl.

Sylvain looked very, very concerned – but looked a lot less surprised than most had expected.

Felix shifted his pose into a brawler’s stance and took slow, menacing steps toward his would-be victim. Unfortunately for him, this ‘test subject’ was a little more well-versed in hand-to-hand combat than the tutor – a little meaning several, several letters ahead in ranking.

A few one-sided scuffles and spat out swords later, Felix now lay in a defensive position on the floor, looking significantly worse for wear. The class looked on in concern.

“Alright, thanks — for your — cooperation.” Sylvain, who seemed to be both expecting and saddened by this failure of a demonstration, gave no protest as he was ushered back to his seat by a panting Felix.

Walking back to the teacher’s desk in somewhat of a daze, Felix straightened himself back into his usual pose and glared back at the class, daring them to laugh. At the silence that instead filled the room once more, he continued the theory element of the lesson. “That was the first tactic - ideally, there is soft ground or a tree nearby for your sword to, uh, idle within. If not, you may have to improvise.” The class stared back at him, bewildered.

Annette whispered to Mercedes, “Do you think this is some kind of joke?” Mercedes shook her head sadly.

Upon the class’ continued silence, Felix’s expression darkened. Gritting his teeth, he reached for the training sword almost instinctually.

“Forget it. We’re doing swords now.” This obviously unplanned change in lesson planning resulted in a few raised eyebrows among the attendees – Annette included.

Mind wandering as Felix set up training dummies (Sylvain looking relieved), she thought of a few ways she could rephrase Felix’s last sentence. Basically, all he was saying was… if all else fails, swords.

Situation forgotten by this point, Annette flitted through a number of situations in which this philosophy could be applied. Perhaps a tender moment of emotional intimacy; one of Bernadetta’s manuscripts which she stumbled across came to mind, in which Felix struggled to confess his secret infatuation with Sylvain. The notion of Felix instinctively going for his sword while stammering over his words proved too much for her – she cracked and gave a snort.

Covering her mouth with her hands immediately, the idle chatter of the classroom seemed to go on without hiccup. Giving Mercie a small smile of relief, she looked to the front to check up on Felix and –

Oh.

Oh _no._

Felix was kneeling beside a broken training dummy – another possibly crest-caused mishap – trying to conceal his slip-up. His eyes met hers; judging by his dark expression, it seems he had seen her laugh and –

Oh no oh no oh _nooo._

What if – he thought that she was – no, she wasn’t, it was her own stupid, scatterbrained thoughts that she was laughing at, _not him not him not him_ – oh, no.

She could see it happening now.

On the way to class, the whispers that would follow her. “There goes that Annette, that weird girl with the funny songs about food,” they would snicker. Oh, how would Felix tell everyone… Maybe he was telling them already, as she was spiraling into preemptive despair.

Mercedes took notice of her friend’s darkening expression and laid a hand on her shoulder to tether her to reality. Annette jolted at the contact, unintentionally directing her gaze back to the cause of her peril.

And he was…

.... looking away? Was that _embarrassment_? Why wasn’t he exacting swift revenge? Why was he looking flustered?

Clearing his throat, gaining back the attention of the expectant class, he spoke to them dismissively; avoiding eye contact with anyone even more than he was before.

“This is done. I don’t even know why I’m here.” Before anyone could protest, he moved out of the classroom in what could only be described as a ‘sprint-walk’.

Annette was now very, very confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay


	3. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aka, sylvain can't catch a break.

Sylvain didn't think following people around was bad. Creepy sometimes? Maybe - depends on context.

But following Felix when he was mad wasn't creepy; it was a matter of self-preservation. You couldn't just _talk_ to him - that would just lead to a lot of bruises that were a bit hard to explain to a sceptical professor. Last time, that had led to a _very_ awkward conversation about 'safe bedroom activities'. You also couldn't wait forever because then Felix would strike you down for your cowardice, and for bothering him in the first place.

But this time wasn't like the other times: no, Sylvain had a purpose. Annette was worrying herself over Felix, and if there was one thing Sylvain prided himself on, it was dealing with Felix. Annette obviously had enough on her plate without Felix causing more distress – so, it was up to him and whoever he could recruit to the cause to resolve this. Who would join? Ingrid? Probably.

For now, he had to start the conversation.

Clearing his throat, Sylvain slowed to a halt from the speedy walk he had adopted to keep up with Felix's angry strides.

Turning around, Felix narrowed his catlike eyes. "You."

With as much false confidence as he could muster (a great deal, thank you very much), he replied with a light-hearted laugh.

"Hey, Felix. I was wondering when you would notice me back here. I mean, I've been walking behind you for a while now. There's gotta be a limit to how much a guy can get lost in his thoughts, right?"

Felix gave no perceivable response.

No problem. Sometimes the first attempt wasn’t always successful. Rerouting his approach, he decided to go for a familiar topic – perhaps it could lighten the mood.

“So, what’s on your mind? You can tell me. I won’t blab. If you’re still hung up on that lecture, it wasn’t that bad.” Felix gave a grunt.

 _Progress,_ Sylvain thought.

“Alright, so it’s not that. Could it be… a girl? Or rather, a certain one in this house?” A bold step – sometimes they worked out.

“That’s enough,” Felix snapped. Guess not this time. “I’m sick of your drivel. Can’t you find someone else to bother?”

Sylvain winced. This conversation was definitely _not_ going the way he wanted.

"Look, I’ve actually got a point this time. Annette’s said that you saw _something_. Can you tell me what it was?”

Felix’s face took on a curious expression, looking firmly at the wall beside Sylvain. “Not now,” he managed after a moment of inner turmoil.

 _Interesting. But not very helpful_ , Sylvain mused as he was shooed away.

~

Waving a farewell to Bernadetta, Ingrid sat on a nearby crate for some well-deserved rest. Stable duty had been exhausting today, with her partner a bit too terrified by the horrors of Felix’s lecture to help much.

Closing her eyes, she allowed herself a moment of peace – short-lived, as it was almost immediately ruined by recollections of the day’s events. The persistent mental images of Felix and Sylvain’s tussles made her concede defeat, opening her eyes: there was to be no rest had when those two were still to be dealt with.

Speaking of which, a very unwelcome sight was approaching her. Giving a pre-emptive sigh, she watched Sylvain trudge over.

Utilising the time it took for him to reach her, she quickly consulted her trusty mental guide on dealing with a Sylvain-generated problem.

Step one – examine your Sylvain. 

_By carefully examining the Sylvain’s face and cross-referencing your past experiences, you can get a better feel for what is ailing your Sylvain._

Ingrid glanced at his expression – melancholic, she deduced. In most cases, this was due to the (well-deserved) backfirings of some fling or another.

Step two – be patient.

_Your Sylvain has experienced a lot by this stage in its life. Remember: not every problem is it’s fault. A positive mindset is crucial to the successful resolution of whatever mess it has created, purposefully or not._

“Ingrid, I need your help.” Sylvain had reached her by this point. _Argh, he’s using the puppy dog eyes,_ she thought. _Damn him._

“What is it now?” _Remember, patience._

“Well, it’s about a girl.” Ingrid felt her hopes shrivel up and die.

“I bet. What is it this time? Rejected? Bad breakup? Cheating _again?_ ”

“No! It’s not like that. I promise.” Ingrid raised an eyebrow. “It’s not me! That’s right. It’s… someone else.”

Step three – take decisive action.

_If you have had to continue to this step, things are not good. Either the Sylvain is giving mixed signals, which is almost certainly bad, or it has divulged something deeply personal and emotional. While the latter is so far undocumented, the first scenario calls for a lecture – if not earned now, it has definitely has been before._

"Weak excuse. Is it too bad for you to even tell me? Is that how low you've sunk? Seiros, Sylvain, how many times do I have to tell you to stop messing around like this? If you would just apply yourself once in a while - just once!- You could be such a great asset to this class. Instead, you just INSIST on wasting your time with, with these -"

"Okay, okay! I get it. But seriously, it’s not like that, Ingrid. I just can’t say who it is because I need to protect their privacy, you know? It wouldn’t be right for me to go around telling everyone.”

Ingrid narrowed her eyes. “Look, I’ve had a long day. Can’t you go bother Felix right now? I need a break. Goodbye.”   
“But that’s exactly my problem! Ingrid! I just – urgh. And she’s gone.”

 _This recruitment isn’t off to a good start,_ he thought. _Tomorrow, I’ll try again. This is for the good of our class._ And then, _why is it so hard to try to help people?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspector sylvain was partly inspired by his boobie inspector uniform. i have no shame in admitting this.


	4. Progress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> little angst here

Was this a little _too_ bold?

Standing in the doorway of a classmate in the early hours of the morning with a bouquet of flowers could be misinterpreted pretty easily, he would admit.

The door opened with a creak.

“Oh, Sylvain? What could you want this early – oh!” Mercedes looked, bewildered, to the bunch of lavenders he held. “My, who is this for?”

Sylvain gave her a sly grin. “This? Of course it’s for the _very_ special lady in front of me.”

Mercedes took them with a slight giggle. “Now, now, Sylvain. You don’t have to give me a gift if you just wanted to talk.” Sylvain relaxed a bit, showing a more genuine smile.

“Thanks, Mercedes. I just need your help with this. You see…”

~

Annette awoke to sounds of laughter from next door. _I wonder who Mercie’s got over,_ she pondered. Sighing, her mind sank back down into its cycle of fretfulness. Felix’s sharp features appeared in her mind’s eye – it seemed the more she tried to shoo it out, the more insistent it became upon staying.

Why him? Why did it have to be him? And why was it so hard to think all of a sudden? Guilt – why was she feeling guilty? For pinning this on him, just because of her own faults? For being a failure and forever a disappointment? The thoughts clung to her mind like they were welded; flailing around in despair only tired her out. _Stop, stop, stop. Stop thinking like this. It’s alright, I can deal with it later._

Repeating the mantra to herself, she took steps towards her door, leaving the tangled mess of emotions in her room.

~

A gentle knock interrupted the conversation. Rising from the small table, Sylvain opened the door with a sunny expression. Annette’s tired face greeted him – when the flicker of recognition passed her face, it shifted to one of embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry, Sylvain! I’ll-I’ll get out of your way for now. I had no idea you and Mercie were - oh, there I go again. I’ll go now.” Scurrying quickly back to her room, Annette disappeared before Sylvain could process a word she had said. He turned back to Mercedes, who only gave a laugh. _Phew. Most people wouldn’t want to be caught with me like this,_ he thought.

“Ah, well. I guess I’ll have to leave that to you to sort out. Sorry about that.” Mercedes shook her head.

“No, it’s fine,” she said lightly. “I was going to talk to her tonight regardless.” He nodded.

“As for what we talked about…?”

“I was working on that before you asked me,” she smiled. “Don’t you worry about that.”

~

Sylvain strolled the grounds of Garreg Mach, giving easy smiles and acknowledgements to past flings and acquaintances. Some ignored him. Some glared. It didn’t matter, anyway. They were all the same. He passed the stables – yesterday’s attempt at recruiting Ingrid was a little disastrous, to say the least. She hadn’t said a word to him since. A sigh.

Somehow, he found himself in front of the dining hall. It was approaching the time for dinner, he supposed. Maybe his legs just listened to his stomach. After half-consciously ordering a meal, he turned around to survey potential seats. A familiar, yet unexpected figure caught his eye.

“Felix?” There he was. Pointedly sitting a distance from his classmates, picking at his food. Looking up, his expression did not change. He gestured to the seat beside him. Slightly bewildered, Sylvain sat.

“What am I meant to do with all these meaningless gifts?” Quite confused at this point, Sylvain cocked his head.

“From who?” Felix stabbed his fork in the direction of their professor, her eyes unreadable as she ate a meal with Ingrid and Dorothea. The latter watched with amusement as Ingrid ate at a somewhat terrifying pace.

“This month alone, she’s given me three swords. Why? What am I to do with more than one?” Sylvain shook his head. Some questions just couldn’t be answered. A bell rung out – the cook had placed his meal at the counter.

By the time Sylvain made it back to his seat, Felix seemed to be past the issue of misguided goodwill. Sylvain was a few bites in when Felix broke the silence between them.

“I want to apologize for yesterday.” Sylvain waved a fork. “I will admit, I have been struggling a little lately.” This raised an eyebrow. “I… can do more than swords.”

Sylvain set down his cutlery. “What brought this on?” Felix’s brow furrowed – yet, it seemed more directed at himself. “The… it’s… I have more skills, don’t I?” Sylvain nodded.

“Of course. You were always good with horses.” Felix shook his head.

“No, not like that. I mean… gah, forget it.” He violently skewered his food, looking anywhere but Sylvain.

_What on earth was that all about?_

~

A knock with a familiar rhythm disrupted the scratching of quill on parchment.

“Annie?” _Mercie,_ she thought. Looking bleary-eyed at the door, she called an affirmation. The door slowly opened, revealing the worried face of her friend. “I’ve got some food. Come on, let’s have a chat.” Annette rubbed at her eyes.

“I guess I lost track of time again, then.”

~

Annette blissfully chewed on one of Mercedes’ cookies. “Why didn’t you tell me about Sylvain, Mercie?” Mercedes laughed.

“Oh, Annie, I’m not _with_ him. He just wanted to talk about someone.” She paused. “Don’t you think Felix has been acting a little different lately?” Annette choked at the question.

“F-Felix? No, why?” Mercedes looked at her pointedly. “Alright, I suppose he has been a little… odd. He’s training a lot more. And… that lecture was beyond strange.”

Mercedes took a leap of faith. “Annie, has something happened between you and him?” Annette froze.

A few moments of silence, and then Annette cracked. “He… he saw me SINGING, Mercie!” Mercedes’ eyebrows rose. “I’ll never live it down! How can I make him forget?” Mercedes shook her head.

“Maybe you should just talk to him about it,” she suggested. “I’m sure he doesn’t want you stressing over it either.” The other girl sighed.

“It’s… Mercie, do you ever have trouble getting over something?” Mercedes thought for a moment.

“Hmmm… that’s tough. I would say everyone has trouble with that. But what brought this on, Annie?” Annette looked away.

“It’s nothing, Mercie. Don’t worry.”

Mercedes connected the dots, and worried.


End file.
